Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hey guys,

my pacman started acting strange the other day. he burrowed all the way to the bottom of the tank. only his eyeballs were showing. thats really weird for him. i've never seen him do that before. the last couple of days he looks like he is on his deathbed. i cleaned out his tank today and he did not even try and get away from me like he usaually does. he just sits there with his eyes closed. is there anything that i can do?? please help......... i will be up checking my email periodically tonight so please give me some advice!! thanks, niki

I would mist him and check the temp before he dries out

Hi Niki,

The natural behavior of horned frogs is to sit burrowed in leaf litter with just their eyes sticking out waiting for food to hop by. This is how they work and what they do. A horned frog that is constantly jumping around or out in the open all the time may be stressed or not comfortable in its enviornment. The only time when my 8 year old horned frog moves is when food is around, he needs to go the water dish or the area he is in gets too dry or too hot/cold. If you are worried about the frogs health I would recomend finding a local vet that has experience with reptiles and amphibians at www.arav.org Is the frog still eating? How is the cage setup? Good luck!

Devin
www.amphibiancare.com
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Devin
devin@amphibiancare.com
www.amphibiancare.com

hi devin,

i found out what the problem is. his undertank heater has quit working and i had no idea!! he is still not doing much and his eyes are still closed. i have hooked up a 60 watt night light to try and warm up the tank a little. i am on my way to the pet store to by a new undertank heater. i keep misting him about every hour. is there anything that i am doing wrong? is there anything else that i can do? let me know!! thanks for the great advice, niki

sounds like he's hibernating to me.
whats the temp in the tank?

Hi again Niki,

Ahhh, that might explain it. I would recomend placing the new undertank heat pad on the side of the aquarium rather than on the bottom. Since horned frogs burrow well they can overheat and burn themselves when a heat pad is placed directly on the bottom of the tank. If you place the heat pad on the side of the aquarium there is very little chance that your frog will get burned. Light bulbs also work well for heating, just make sure to get the proper wattage and to check the temperature often. You shouldn't need to be spraying him everyday. A few mistings a week is fine. Good luck Niki!

Devin
www.amphibiancare.com